Miller to Christen New Cutter at Marinette Marine

Monday, January 20, 2003

Marinette Marine Corporation, a division of Manitowoc Marine Group, is scheduled to launch the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hollyhock (WLB-214) on Saturday, January 25, at its shipyard located on the Menominee River in Marinette, Wis.
The Hollyhock is the fourteenth ship in a series of sixteen Juniper
Class seagoing buoy tenders being built by Marinette Marine Corporation.
The main responsibility of these vessels is to service and maintain the
largest buoys in the Coast Guard inventory of more than 50,000 aids to
navigation. In addition, this fleet of multi-mission vessels is also
capable of performing search and rescue, law enforcement, pollution
response, and domestic ice-breaking duties.
Hollyhock's launch ceremony will begin at 10:00 am Central Standard
Time. The Honorable Candice Miller, U.S. House of Representatives, will
deliver the keynote speech and serve as sponsor of the highly
sophisticated vessel. As the sponsor, Miller will christen the
Hollyhock by breaking a bottle of champagne across its bow, triggering a
spectacular side launch of the vessel into the Menominee River.
The USCGC Hollyhock is a 225-ft. seagoing buoy tender that will operate
from Port Huron, Michigan, under the command of Lt. Michael McBrady.
Featuring a complement of six officers and 34 enlisted personnel,
Hollyhock is scheduled to be delivered in September 2003, joining her
sister cutters that are currently operating in the Atlantic Ocean, the
Pacific Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico.
Each buoy tender in the Juniper series is named after a previously
distinguished buoy tender. The newest USCGC Hollyhock honors a Coast
Guard cutter that served the United States from 1937 through 1982. The
original Hollyhock was launched at DeFoe Boat and Motorworks in Bay
City, Mich., on March 25, 1937. Initially operating as part of the
fleet serving the U.S. Lighthouse Service, Hollyhock joined the Coast
Guard's fleet in 1939 after the Lighthouse Service became part of the
Coast Guard's organization. Following 45 years of distinguished service,
the Hollyhock was decommissioned on March 31, 1982.